Popularity has increased in recent years for alcoholic drinks which for aesthetic reasons are poured in a number of coloured layers with the layers being in varying densities from the highest density at the bottom the glass to the lowest density liquid at the top of the glass. Drinks of this type are well known as "Shooters" and while they have been known for many years have become increasingly popular both being consumed in bars and while entertaining in the home.
The general technique for pouring shooters involves the delicate pouring of a quantity of the liquid onto the back of a spoon which is placed within the glass closely adjacent the bottom or adjacent the surface of the previous layer with the liquid running from the spoon onto the side of the glass so that it can enter the glass without disturbing the previously poured layer. This technique is of course highly unscientific and unless carried out carefully the effect of the different layers can easily be lost particularly when the densities of adjacent layers are relatively close.
In the situation of a commercial bar it is of course desirable to enable drinks of this type to be poured rapidly in order to improve staff efficiency. In the home entertaining situation, the speed of pouring is generally a less important factor but certainly it is desirable to provide a device which can enable pouring of these drinks effectively by persons unskilled in the art. In addition the novelty effect obtained by providing a device for carrying out the pouring increases the entertainment value of the drinks themselves.
A number of previous devices have been proposed for assisting in the pouring of layered drinks of this type and a search has revealed U.S. Pat. Nos. 654,879 (Dineen), 3,185,189 (Reid), 3,256,916 (Silletti) and 4,126,164 (Magnifico). The devices to Silletti and Dineen are both of limited value since they require careful hand control of the device which is little more effective than the conventional spoon. The device of Reid is similarly little more than the conventional spoon but provides a mounting arrangement in which the spoon is held within the glass. The Magnifico device is of a more recent nature and provides an arrangement which in theory could effectively control the flow of liquid. However the device requires that an air tight seal is formed between the device and the top of a glass. In practice, however, the manufacture of glasses is a very imprecise art and measurement of the glasses even supplied from a particular batch will show that there are wide variations in size and significant eccentricity. The practical opportunity therefore of obtaining the necessary airtight seal is very limited except possibly in relation to specially manufactured glasses, thus limiting the device to the use of high priced glassware as opposed to readily available products.